Physics Commons^™

Nitrogen-To-Oxygen Abundance Ratio Variation In Quiescent Galaxies, Renbin Yan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

For the first time, we establish a gas-phase abundance pattern calibration for quiescent galaxies using optical emission lines. Quiescent galaxies have warm ionized gas showing line ratios similar to low-ionization nuclear emission line regions. The ionization mechanism for the gas is still an unsettled puzzle. Despite the uncertainty in the ionization mechanism, we argue that we can still infer certain gas-phase abundance pattern from first principles. We show that the relative trend in N/O abundance can still be reliably measured based on [N II] λλ6548,6583/[O II] λλ3726,3729 and a direct measurement of the electron temperature. We construct a composite direct …

Shocks Or Photoionization: Direct Temperature Measurements Of The Low-Ionization Gas In Quiescent Galaxies, Renbin Yan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The ionization mechanism of the low-ionization gas in quiescent red-sequence galaxies has been a long-standing puzzle. Direct temperature measurements would put strong constraints on this issue. We carefully selected a sample of quiescent red-sequence galaxies from Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We bin them into three bins with different [N II]/H α and [N II]/[O II] ratios, and we measure the temperature-sensitive [O III] λ4363, [N II] λ5755, [S II] λλ4068, 4076, and [O II] λλ7320, 7330 lines in the stacked spectra. The [S II] doublet ratios indicate the line-emitting gas is in the low-density regime (∼10–200 cm⁻³). We …

Atomic Data Revisions For Transitions Relevant To Observations Of Interstellar, Circumgalactic, And Intergalactic Matter, Frances H. Cashman, Varsha P. Kulkarni, Romas Kisielius, Gary J. Ferland, Pavel Bogdanovich

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Measurements of element abundances in galaxies from astrophysical spectroscopy depend sensitively on the atomic data used. With the goal of making the latest atomic data accessible to the community, we present a compilation of selected atomic data for resonant absorption lines at wavelengths longward of 911.753 Å (the H I Lyman limit), for key heavy elements (heavier than atomic number 5) of astrophysical interest. In particular, we focus on the transitions of those ions that have been observed in the Milky Way interstellar medium (ISM), the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of the Milky Way and/or other galaxies, and the intergalactic medium …

The Intermediate-Line Region In Active Galactic Nuclei, T. P. Adhikari, A. Różańska, B. Czerny, K. Hryniewicz, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We show that the recently observed suppression of the gap between the broad-line region (BLR) and the narrow-line region (NLR) in some active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can be fully explained by an increase of the gas density in the emitting region. Our model predicts the formation of the intermediate-line region (ILR) that is observed in some Seyfert galaxies by the detection of emission lines with intermediate-velocity FWHM ~ 700–1200 km s⁻¹. These lines are believed to be originating from an ILR located somewhere between the BLR and NLR. As was previously proved, the apparent gap is assumed to …

High-Velocity Bipolar Molecular Emission From An Agn Torus, Jack F. Gallimore, Moshe Elitzur, Robert Maiolino, Alessandro Marconi, Christopher P. O'Dea, Dieter Lutz, Stefi A. Baum, Robert Nikutta, C. M. V. Impellizzeri, Richard Davies, Amy E. Kimball, Eleonora Sani

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have detected in ALMA observations CO J = 6 → 5 emission from the nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068. The low-velocity (up to ±70 km s⁻¹ relative to systemic) CO emission resolves into a 12 × 7 pc structure, roughly aligned with the nuclear radio source. Higher-velocity emission (up to ±400 km s⁻¹) is consistent with a bipolar outflow in a direction nearly perpendicular (≃80°) to the nuclear disk. The position–velocity diagram shows that in addition to the outflow, the velocity field may also contain rotation about the disk axis. These observations provide compelling …

Ultraviolet Emission Lines Of Si Ii In Quasars—Investigating The "Si Ii Disaster", Sibasish Laha, Francis P. Keenan, Gary J. Ferland, Catherine A. Ramsbottom, Kanti M. Aggarwal

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The observed line intensity ratios of the Si II λ1263 and λ1307 multiplets to that of Si II λ1814 in the broad-line region (BLR) of quasars are both an order of magnitude larger than the theoretical values. This was first pointed out by Baldwin et al., who termed it the "Si II disaster," and it has remained unresolved. We investigate the problem in the light of newly published atomic data for Si II. Specifically, we perform BLR calculations using several different atomic data sets within the CLOUDY modeling code under optically thick quasar cloud conditions. In addition, …

Disc Outflows And High-Luminosity True Type 2 Agn, Moshe Elitzur, Hagai Netzer

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The absence of intrinsic broad-line emission has been reported in a number of active galactic nuclei (AGN), including some with high Eddington ratios. Such ‘true type 2 AGN’ are inherent to the disc-wind scenario for the broad-line region: broad-line emission requires a minimal column density, implying a minimal outflow rate and thus a minimal accretion rate. Here we perform a detailed analysis of the consequences of mass conservation in the process of accretion through a central disc. The resulting constraints on luminosity are consistent with all the cases where claimed detections of true type 2 AGN pass stringent criteria, and …

Strong Variability Of The Coronal Line Region In Ngc 5548, Hermine Landt, Martin J. Ward, Katrien C. Steenbrugge, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the second extensive study of the coronal line variability in an active galaxy. Our data set for the well-studied Seyfert galaxy NGC 5548 consists of five epochs of quasi-simultaneous optical and near-infrared spectroscopy spanning a period of about five years and three epochs of X-ray spectroscopy overlapping in time with it. Whereas the broad emission lines and hot dust emission varied only moderately, the coronal lines varied strongly. However, the observed high variability is mainly due to a flux decrease. Using the optical [Fe vii] and X-ray O vii emission lines we estimate that the coronal line gas …

Variability Of The Coronal Line Region In Ngc 4151, Hermine Landt, Martin J. Ward, Katrien C. Steenbrugge, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present the first extensive study of the coronal line variability in an active galaxy. Our data set for the nearby source NGC 4151 consists of six epochs of quasi-simultaneous optical and near-infrared spectroscopy spanning a period of about 8 yr and five epochs of X-ray spectroscopy overlapping in time with it. None of the coronal lines showed the variability behaviour observed for the broad emission lines and hot dust emission. In general, the coronal lines varied only weakly, if at all. Using the optical [Fe vii] and X-ray O vii emission lines we estimate that the coronal line gas …

Faint Agns At Z > 4 In The Candels Goods-S Field: Looking For Contributors To The Reionization Of The Universe, E. Giallongo, A. Grazian, F. Fiore, A. Fontana, L. Pentericci, E. Vanzella, M. Dickinson, Dale D. Kocevski, M. Castellano, S. Christiani, H. Ferguson, S. Finkelstein, N. Grogin, N. Hathi, A. M. Koekemoer, J. A. Newman, M. Salvato

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Context. Establishing the number of faint active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z = 4−6 is crucial to understanding their cosmological importance as main contributors to the reionization of the Universe.

Aims. In order to derive the AGN contribution to the cosmological ionizing emissivity we have selected faint AGN candidates at z> 4 in the CANDELS GOODS-South field, which is one of the deepest fields with extensive multiwavelength coverage from Chandra, HST, Spitzer, and various ground-based telescopes.

Methods. We have adopted a relatively novel criterion. As a first step, high redshift galaxies are selected in the NIR H band …

Atomic Data For Zn Ɪɪ: Improving Spectral Diagnostics Of Chemical Evolution In High-Redshift Galaxies, Romas Kisielius, Varsha P. Kulkarni, Gary J. Ferland, Pavel Bogdanovich, Debopam Som, Matt L. Lykins

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Damped Lyα (DLA) and sub-DLA absorbers in quasar spectra provide the most sensitive tools for measuring the element abundances of distant galaxies. The estimation of abundances from absorption lines depends sensitively on the accuracy of the atomic data used. We have started a project to produce new atomic spectroscopic parameters for optical and UV spectral lines using state-of-the-art computer codes employing a very broad configuration interaction (CI) basis. Here we report our results for Zn ii, an ion used widely in studies of the interstellar medium (ISM) as well as DLAs and sub-DLAs. We report new calculations of many …

Line-Driven Radiative Outflows In Luminous Quasars, Rebecca A. A. Bowler, Paul C. Hewett, James T. Allen, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

An analysis of ≃19 500 narrow ( ≲ 200 km s⁻¹) C iv λλ1548.2,1550.8 absorbers in ≃34 000 Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar spectra is presented. The statistics of the number of absorbers as a function of outflow velocity shows that in approximately two-thirds of outflows, with multiple C iv absorbers present, absorbers are line-locked at the 500 km s⁻¹ velocity separation of the C iv absorber doublet; appearing as ‘triplets’ in the quasar spectra. Line-locking is an observational signature of radiative line-driving in outflowing material, where the successive shielding of ‘clouds’ of material in the outflow …

Atomic Data For S Ii—Toward Better Diagnostics Of Chemical Evolution In High-Redshift Galaxies, Romas Kisielius, Varsha P. Kulkarni, Gary J. Ferland, Pavel Bogdanovich, Matt L. Lykins

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Absorption-line spectroscopy is a powerful tool used to estimate element abundances in both the nearby and distant universe. The accuracy of the abundances thus derived is naturally limited by the accuracy of the atomic data assumed for the spectral lines. We have recently started a project to perform new extensive atomic data calculations used for optical/UV spectral lines in the plasma modeling code Cloudy using state of the art quantal calculations. Here, we demonstrate our approach by focussing on S II, an ion used to estimate metallicities for Milky Way interstellar clouds as well as distant damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) and …

Two-Component Structure Of The HΒ Broad-Line Region In Quasars. I. Evidence From Spectral Principal Component Analysis, Chen Hu, Jian-Min Wang, Luis C. Ho, Gary J. Ferland, Jack A. Baldwin, Ye Wang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report on a spectral principal component analysis (SPCA) of a sample of 816 quasars, selected to have small Fe II velocity shifts with spectral coverage in the rest wavelength range 3500-5500 Å. The sample is explicitly designed to mitigate spurious effects on SPCA induced by Fe II velocity shifts. We improve the algorithm of SPCA in the literature and introduce a new quantity, the fractional-contribution spectrum, that effectively identifies the emission features encoded in each eigenspectrum. The first eigenspectrum clearly records the power-law continuum and very broad Balmer emission lines. Narrow emission lines dominate the second eigenspectrum. The …

Star Formation In Self-Gravitating Disks In Active Galactic Nuclei. Ii. Episodic Formation Of Broad-Line Regions, Jian-Min Wang, Pu Du, Jack A. Baldwin, Jun-Qiang Ge, Chen Hu, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

This is the second in a series of papers discussing the process and effects of star formation in the self-gravitating disk around the supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We have previously suggested that warm skins are formed above the star-forming (SF) disk through the diffusion of warm gas driven by supernova explosions. Here we study the evolution of the warm skins when they are exposed to the powerful radiation from the inner part of the accretion disk. The skins initially are heated to the Compton temperature, forming a Compton atmosphere (CAS) whose subsequent evolution is divided into …

Star Formation In Self-Gravitating Disks In Active Galactic Nuclei. I. Metallicity Gradients In Broad-Line Regions, Jian-Min Wang, Jun-Qiang Ge, Chen Hu, Jack A. Baldwin, Yan-Rong Li, Gary J. Ferland, Fei Xiang, Chang-Shuo Yan, Shu Zhang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

It has been suggested that the high metallicity generally observed in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars originates from ongoing star formation in the self-gravitating part of accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs). We designate this region as the star-forming (SF) disk, in which metals are produced from supernova explosions (SNexp) while at the same time inflows are driven by SNexp-excited turbulent viscosity to accrete onto the SMBHs. In this paper, an equation of metallicity governed by SNexp and radial advection is established to describe the metal distribution and evolution in the SF disk. We find that the metal …

Emission From Hot Dust In The Infrared Spectra Of Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars, Michael P. Malmrose, Alan P. Marscher, Svetlana G. Jorstad, Robert Nikutta, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

A possible source of γ-ray photons observed from the jets of blazars is inverse Compton scattering by relativistic electrons of infrared seed photons from a hot, dusty torus in the nucleus. We use observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope to search for signatures of such dust in the infrared spectra of four γ-ray bright blazars, the quasars 4C 21.35, CTA102, and PKS 1510-089, and the BL Lacertae object ON231. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of 4C 21.35 contains a prominent infrared excess indicative of dust emission. After subtracting a non-thermal component with a power-law spectrum, we fit a …

Dusty Tori Of Luminous Type 1 Quasars At Z ~ 2, Rajesh P. Deo, Gordon T. Richards, Robert Nikutta, Moshe Elitzur, Sarah C. Gallagher, Željko Ivezić, Dean Hines

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present Spitzer infrared (IR) spectra and ultraviolet (UV) to mid-IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 25 luminous type 1 quasars at z ~ 2. In general, the spectra show a bump peaking around 3 μm and the 10 μm silicate emission feature. The 3 μm emission is identified with hot dust emission at its sublimation temperature. We explore two approaches to modeling the SED: (1) using the CLUMPY model SED from Nenkova et al. and (2) the CLUMPY model SED and an additional blackbody component to represent the 3 μm emission. In the first case, …

Agn Dusty Tori. Ii. Observational Implications Of Clumpiness, Maia Nenkova, Matthew M. Sirocky, Robert Nikutta, Željko Ivezić, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Clumpy torus models with N₀ ~ 5–15 dusty clouds along radial equatorial rays successfully explain AGN infrared observations. The dust has standard Galactic composition, with individual cloud optical depth τ_V ~ 30–100 at visual. The models naturally explain the observed behavior of the 10 μm silicate feature, in particular the lack of deep absorption features in AGNs of any type, and can reproduce the weak emission feature tentatively detected in type 2 QSOs. The clouds' angular distribution must have a soft edge, e.g., Gaussian, and the radial distribution should decrease as 1/r or 1/r^{2 …}

An Atlas Of Computed Equivalent Widths Of Quasar Broad Emission Lines, Kirk Korista, Jack Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, Dima Verner

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present graphically the results of several thousand photoionization calculations of broad emission-line clouds in quasars, spanning 7 orders of magnitude in hydrogen ionizing flux and particle density. The equivalent widths of 42 quasar emission lines are presented as contours in the particle density-ionizing flux plane for a typical incident continuum shape, solar chemical abundances, and cloud column density of N(H) = 10²³ cm^-2. Results are similarly given for a small subset of emission lines for two other column densities (10²² and 10²⁴ cm^-2), five other incident continuum shapes, and a gas …

The Origin Of N Iii Λ990 And C Iii Λ977 Emission In Agn Narrow-Line Region Gas, Jason W. Ferguson, Gary J. Ferland, A. K. Pradham

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We discuss implications of Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) detections of C III λ977 and N III λ990 emission from the narrow-line region of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. In their discovery paper Kriss et al. showed that the unexpectedly great strength of these lines implies that the emitting gas must be shock-heated if the lines are collisionally excited. Here we investigate other processes which excite these lines in photoionization equilibrium. Recombination, mainly dielectronic, and continuum fluorescence are strong contributors to the line. The resulting intensities are sensitive to the velocity field of the emitting gas and require …

The Optical-Ultraviolet-Γ-Ray Spectrum Of 3c 279, Hagai Netzer, D. Kazanas, Beverley J. Wills, D. Wills, Han Mingsheng, M. S. Brotherton, J A. Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, I. W. A. Browne

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have obtained spectrosocpy of the violently variable quasar 3C 279, simultaneous with γ-ray observations, in 1992 April. Our combined optical (McDonald Observatory and Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory (CTIO) and ultraviolet (HST) observations, made when the source was faint, show a very steep power-law continuum (F_ν∝ν^-1.95) and strong broad emission lines. This is the first time that the broad ultraviolet lines of this object have been measured, and we note several unusual properties of the spectrum. In particular, the profiles of C IV λ1549 and Mg II λ …

The Narrow-Line Region Of High-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei, Beverley J. Wills, H. Netzer, M. S. Brotherton, Mingsheng Han, D. Wills, J. A. Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, I. W. A. Browne

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have made high signal-to-noise spectroscopic observations of seven radio-loud quasars with the Faint Object Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope and from the ground at McDonald Observatory and at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The resolution is 300-400 km s^-1 over the wavelength range 1000-8500 Å, enabling us to separate the broad and narrow components of the emission lines. This is the first study of the optical and UV narrow lines in such high-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs).

The most important and striking observational result is the relative weakness of the narrow ultraviolet lines, assuming that they have …

Radiation Pressure And The Stability Of Broad-Line Region Clouds, Gary J. Ferland, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We discuss two constraints on the existence and stability of quasar emission-line gas. The case of a constant pressure photoionized cloud in pressure equilibrium with a surrounding hot gas is considered. We show that the radiation pressure of the internally generated line emission makes a significant contribution to the total pressure in standard broad-line region models, and that models with either a higher ionization parameter or lower gas density are dominated by radiation pressure and hence unstable. Further, clouds with ionization parameters lower than the standard value cannot be supported by any hot gas which is heated only by the …